Interior Health is changing the way it is reporting cases of COVID-19 in the Kelowna area.
Beginning tomorrow (July 30), the health authority is reporting the number of cases occurring across Kelowna, not just the confirmed cases associated with early July events.
BREAKING: @Interior_Health is changing the way it is reporting Kelowna-based COVID-19 cases.
Presser from IH below: pic.twitter.com/E0L6h6BYBF— Michael Rodriguez (@MichaelRdrguez) July 30, 2020
Until now, Interior Health (IH) has defined the number of cases associated to the “Kelowna cluster” as connected directly to specific events and businesses downtown in early July and over the Canada Day holiday.
“We now know the situation has shifted into more broad community transmission beyond these initial cases in downtown Kelowna,” said Karl Hardt, IH’s media spokesperson.
“This new reporting will more accurately reflect what is happening in the city and region at this time.”
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix will explain the change during their regular media availability tomorrow and IH will begin releasing numbers based on the expanded definition.
Interior Health said that this will result in a “significant increase” in the cluster number it has been reporting to date.
“It is important to clarify that the vast majority of the additional cases reported tomorrow will not be new cases. These are cases that were already captured in the IH total cases, but were not officially assigned to the ‘Kelowna cluster.'”
EDITORS NOTE: Alongside this release, Interior Health sent an unconfirmed case count to the media in error. The Capital News has decided not to publish those numbers and wait for the confirmed numbers to be released tomorrow.
READ MORE: No new COVID-19 cases for the first time in weeks: Interior Health
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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